Article-supporting device



April 14, 1931. 1,800,387

ARTICLE SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Dec. SO 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A'pri 1 R. L. GREIST 1,300,337

ARTICLE SUPPORTING DEVICE Fiied Dec. 50, 1926 2 Sheets-shes; '2

Patented Apr. 14, 1931 RATE- r GFFECIJE;

RAYMOND; L. GBEIS@,;,QE CHICAGO, jrnm fnors, Assrnon no enbnnw normality, nanonn'rrcr s surronrme pnvIcEi The-presentinventi on hasto do withar- 'ticle+supporting' deviceslof' "the type adapted tobiapplied'td thewalls ofischoo oms 9 holding maps, charts, pictures and the like 1n 5 various positionsfvvith respect to such; walls.

Wl1i1,edevices of? this typeare espec ally well suited for the purpose above spec fied,

they may also be used advantageously in many ,othr'difierentways. The particular device 0 forming-the; subj ct matter; o fithisinvention isian'im rQVQm'ent overjthatdisclosed; 1n the copending application of; Andrew .Hofiman filediAugustr 28th, 1:926;- v 1 M1 eri l N 132,138. a a c 5 Qnedf h prine p lebiect -it e n:

i n 9" provide. an mproved v ce t type described, in which;thearticle-supporting members may be attached to onremoved fr m the ra l-m mber at anyi' ne of a; numb r F o po nt engthwi e; th re'ofi, andn W Q the rail m mber s uniior in, appe zancefi 'eughput ts engt and h mne itz s inconp cpus y ith; as ociat d.- t m en he 25 walld qwhich-a pl e improved-supporting device which isso conr te' .a diprop rt en da tq i pa l of sustaining a heavier load than he, devices heretef resedior the am -gener lvp pe t Qth rO ie t dadr tag s the n tion b epp aten up naf llu s an he en'st ilu n', a rangemen nd operation of the improved device. I;

- t v Eo the-p np se ofi-e mp fication,

different forms of the invention areprjesented hereinbut it willgbegappreciated that the invention is also susceptible of embodiment in other structurally modified forms coming equally within the scope of the claim.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 isa fragmentary perspective View shofiving'the device applied to the'trim on a wa I Fig. 2 is a partially sectioned front View; Fig. 3 is a transverse section, showing the article-supporting member of the device in operative positionin the rail; i

Fig. 4 is a similar View, showing the article, supporting, member, while being removed from the rail;

Another mn rt nt. i ctis te p v e an,v

supporting membr Big. 6-is a; view corresponding to',-Fig.m-lr,

ut sh wing. anotheriform; the: nventi n; Fig; 7 is atransverse ."section' through. the

g e. articles 'ppont'ing me'mherj in openativepo'sitionin,the rai v 7 Eig; 8 1s asimi'ljar view,,sh owing thearticles supporting member. While being] removed i The structural embod ment of thebiiivention illustrated, inflfig tof5 iilcliisiivel will first bedescribed, "It: will be: observed; in those views cthat thedeviceincIudes acliannel rail 10,. and; an article-supportingimembeh 1:1 1'n-assoc1ation therewith: Onl-y' onearticle- 5 is; a view. of; the V sl npqr ngimember shQWmbutthenof I a, numbe; c, of; such members 1s ofircoursecon templated.

The'rail 'lfl isa a; sheet metal? of: genera-11y U j-sh'aped cross sectiomandais' provided .-W1i h upper and. 1ower;flanges :l2-zand: 13QWhich extende owar eechiother Twheupper flange 12,is wider; thentheflower; flange13, and both flanges; extend 'continuously; fiiom one. end ef-the. rail to the; other in equally spaced relation to each other at,;.a1l-p,o'i nts, Talia rail,

when, applied; to; a; wall; or othen; surface, is ta edrei hQ d-irQQtly t0: the Wal-laorgtki the turn '14; thereon,-. bya number of SCIeW's115 which p ss h oughou erunk apertures in the; back; be the; rail ranch are. positioned with theinhead, substantially; flushwith1the The article,-supporting; irlember -11 includes a block 16 of generally rectangular form; which fits within-the channel of; the

v, rail, block isofvslightl'y'lessheight than ha l nn lj S1 WIL I igS-Baa di a nd is beveledat, 17-,in.;o1;de,r to permitthelower e d-"18H Q hlqski ahesw ne u m y connected with the block atany portion of over the edge of the lower flange 13 when the block is shifted upwardly in the channel to a point where the end 18 is in a position block 16 through the slot formed between the upper and lower flanges of the rail, and

constitutes a convenient and adjustably positioned projection from which various articles may be suspended. The hook may be the latter which is exposed'between the upper and lower flangesof the rail, but is preferably connected near the lower'end 18 at-a point just abovethe edge of the lower flange 13, whereby to increase the stability of the block when the hook is supporting a load and decrease the pressureapplied to the upper flange 12 by'the upper end of the block.

A supporting device embodying the structural: features-above described is extremely inexpensive to manufacture, since no notches or special formations of any kind need be provided at intervals in the railto permit application or removal of the article-supporting members, and the rail is consequently of uniform cross-sectional shape throughout the length thereof. Furthermore, the article-supporting members do not have to be applied to or removed from the rail at certain locations only, but may be applied 'or removed'at any point.

If desired, the bottom 21 of the rail, and the lower end '18 of the block 16, may be corrugated, as shown in Figs' 2, 3 and 4, in order to prevent the block fromj shiftin longitudinally of the channel when the'hook is supporting a load and the force applied thereto is not strictly in a plane perpendicular to the rail. The corrugations, being nonlnterlocklng in a direction lengthwise of the .rail, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 5, will yieldingly resist :sliding movement of the block 16 to an extent suflicient to preventac-,

cidental displacement of thesame, but such corrugations do not make it necessary for the block to be first lifted in order to change the posi'tion'of the same. I

In Figs. 6 to 9 inclusive ofthe drawings is illustrated another'structural embodiment of the inventionwhich differs from the form first described inthe following particulars:

her is securely looked in By employing the cooperating flange and groove construction described, no change in the uniform appearance of the rail is effected as the rail is 'usuallyplaced above the level of the eye, and the article-supporting memnel of the rail.

In Figs. 10 and 11 isillustratedstill another embodiment of the invention which differs from the first'form in that the corruposition in the changations between the block and the bottom of the channel are omitted and the block 16v is provided on the upper facethereof with'a light bow spring 28, which bears resiliently at all times against the top 29 of the rail 10 and tends to prevent the block from shifting or tilting when in use. The spring-28 is caused toflatten against the top of theblock 16 when the latter is removed from the rail.

'1 claim: a r

, A device of the character described, comprising a channel rail which is provided wardly extending flange of uniform width and along the lower margin thereof with "an being applied to or along the upper margin thereof with a down- 7 g upwardly extending flange of uniform width 2 which is narrower thanthe downwardly extending flange, and an article-supporting member in the channel which is of, less height than the distance between the edge of the lower flange and thetop'of the channel so that itmay be shifted upwardly therein at any point longitudinally of the device and swung twardlyover the edge fflth lower flang 1 i p ,7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

RAYMOND L.- GREIST.

the lower flange 22 ofthe-rail 23 is provided posed within the groove 26 when the articlesupporting member is in operative position,

'as shown in Fig. 7, and such interlocked assoclatlon of the flange and groove efl'ectively 

